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Slanaighear Ofrail An Seangharra	By : pittwitch Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 5226 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
~*~
Those He Leaves Behind
~*~

"One of you had best start explaining all of this!" Orra demanded, her eyes wary as she scanned the room. Protectively, she kept her back to Severus.

Aideen scrambled to her feet as well and the three women rounded on Minerva McGonagall and Bill Weasley.

"I know I don"t understand your magic and things, but I for one would like a few explanations as well," Aideen snapped with her eyes lightening to a silvery-blue as her anger grew. Kellyn stood calmly, staring at Bill Weasley. She kept her arms crossed, but with her fingers dangling near the pocket of her denims, where the reassuring comfort of her blade rested against her hip.

"Minerva," Snape interrupted, "perhaps I could speak with Orra privately while you and Mr. Weasley take Kingsley up to the office with our guests."

With his stream of words, Orra cast a sidelong glance at Kellyn, both women forcing their faces to maintain the same expression, to show no reaction. Orra knew that Kellyn did not want the three of them to be separated. Agreeing wholeheartedly with her friend, Orra masked her confusion and hesitancy well, sharing her thoughts with only her eyes on her close friends; thoughts that between the three could remain unspoken.

"If you wish, Severus," McGonagall wavered slightly.

"I do. I think Kingsley"s reaction makes the choice we discussed earlier plainly obvious," Snape growled in frustration.

"Time, Severus. Just give me time," McGonagall fretted as she pointed an unsteady wand at Kingsley to cast the Mobilicorpus. "Time to convince everyone "" Her voice faded slightly as she met the ebony eyes of her colleague.

"Indeed." He scowled, fussing with the bare protection of his sheet once more. "Time heals all wounds," he scoffed sarcastically.

"Trust me, Severus," McGonagall implored. "Please?"

"It is not you whom I do not trust," he added sadly. He snorted and waved her out the door.

With a very displeased purse to her lips, Aideen wavered between staying with Kellyn and Orra and trying to follow Kingsley"s floating body. She looked to Kellyn for guidance. Kellyn looked to Orra, who nodded slightly. Spying her answer, Aideen scurried after the floating Kingsley. Kellyn stepped in close to embrace Orra, palming her blade before pressing it secretly into Orra"s hand. Orra kissed her cheek in answer and covered the palm-sized folded knife with her fist.

"I"ll be fine, Kellyn," she asserted, crossing her arms to further hide her last defense. "We"ll see you upstairs soon." She inclined her head to include Severus, and Bill stepped forward to lay a gentle hand on Kellyn"s elbow. He guided Kellyn out the door with a soft yet firm hand on the small of her back.

"Orrs?" She stopped to turn and face her friend in the doorway.

"I"ll be fine, "Lyn. Go keep Aideen out of trouble." Orra spoke softly and with a small smile, she too waved her friend out the door. Bill nodded at her, then threw her a playful wink, hoping to convey that he really did think everything would be all right. Orra graced him with a lopsided grin and her own quick, sly wink. Snape watched the intruders into his privacy all escape with their dignity mostly intact. "Kingsley will at least still have his dignity. He won"t even remember being hexed from behind," he thought resentfully as he plucked at the edge of the sheet.

"Orra, come sit," he commanded gruffly.

Orra"s back straightened, and she cocked her head to peer down at the still reclining Snape. "Excuse me?"

Snape raised his eyes to her curiously, uncertain why she was suddenly angry with him. She leveled her gaze on him, pressed her lips together, and with her arms crossed, tapped her toe in provocation. They stared at each other in obvious mutual aggravation for a long uncomfortable moment.

"I take orders from no man, Severus," Orra finally relented after realizing he really didn"t understand what he had done.

He softened his tone and tried to sound like he was making a request rather than a decree. "Ah, please, come sit with me, Orra."

With an exaggerated politeness, Orra dipped a small curtsy in his direction, then sweetly answered, "I"d be delighted to sit with you, Severus." As her hand slipped over the material of her skirt, she slipped the knife into her pocket.

He rolled his eyes with a smirk and a bit of a snort. She grinned cheekily and flounced over to sit on the edge of the bed. When she first settled, she brushed against his legs. He quickly shifted away from the contact, ostensibly making more room for her to sit.

"Orra," he started, then swallowed hard; swallowed what was left of his pride, and continued, "I need somewhere to stay where I will not be found."

Orra shushed him. "I imagine that is the exact reason Albus chose to send you to Shanagarry."

Snape arched an eyebrow. "I thought he chose you," he paused, " -- for your ability to " help me in my time of need."

"Perhaps," Orra pondered with a faraway look in her yes, " -- and perhaps there were two factors in his decision. Shanagarry is quite a special place, Severus. You"ll see." She smiled with promise in her eyes; promise and a hint at a secret she wasn"t about to share. "When I show you the circles, you"ll see."

Deciding to allow the woman her mystery, Severus pressed on, "So, would you allow me to stay with you for a while, then?"

"Certainly," she laughed. "I promised Albus, and in turn, then, I promised you."

"I do not know how long I will have to stay "" Snape warned.

"No matter, no matter at all," Orra answered as she patted his leg. "Now, where shall I start with your packing?"

Snape struggled mightily to keep his jaw from dropping open. The woman"s accepting nature stunned him. "You will not need to pack for me." He reached up to grab her wrist as she tried to step away from him. "But, may I ask another favor?"

The huskiness in his voice caught her attention, and Orra sat back down, instinctively understanding that his next request was much more serious. "You may ask " I reserve the right to decline," she hedged in trepidation.

~*~

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" roared Bill Weasley. "Are you completely nutters?" He stared in shock at Orra, who was very calmly staring back at him, her arms folded and her toe tapping in prim agitation. "I can"t believe he"d even ask such a thing."

"Lower your voice, Bill," Orra hissed. "I agreed to do this," she affirmed, her eyes alight with determination. "Either help me, or I"ll find a way to do it myself."

"Orra! How can I keep your secrets if you go parading into a Manor with all the occupants under house arrest?" Bill inquired exasperatedly.

"House arrest?" Orra gaped in astonishment. "What are you rabbiting on about -- house arrest?"

"House arrest," Bill reasserted. "The Malfoy family is under house arrest for their participation in ""

Orra"s snort cut him off.

She waved her hand at him to stop and she herself stopped tapping her foot to ponder. After too brief a moment, she shrugged. "No matter, I gave my word. Now, help me or get out of my way."

"You"ll have to be disguised," Bill contemplated aloud. His riddle-solving mind churned over all the details of Orra and Snape"s unorthodox request.

"If I must," Orra sighed her agreement. "Now, how shall we disguise me?"

"Professor, please?" Bill turned to Snape, who was conveniently exiting his bedchamber with Minerva.

"I wouldn"t ask if it were not important, Bill." Snape carefully met the curse-breaker"s gaze.

"Is that the package?" Orra requested of Minerva.

"Yes, it is." Professor McGonagall handed her a shrunken wooden crate. "Bill, this is important to Severus. I think it is the least we can do while he is giving up everything else here," the elder woman chided the redheaded man gently.

"It is dangerous," Bill protested.

"Yes," Snape drawled, "which is why I"ve asked you to accompany Miss Orra."

"It can"t be me," McGonagall said. "The Aurors would be suspicious, as well as even more suspicious, not to mention young Draco."

"You cannot check what I"ve asked Orra to check," Snape admonished her.

"I can take it," Bill offered hopefully. "Orra doesn"t need to go. Surely I can check whatever needs to be checked."

"No," Orra interrupted. "It has to be the both of us." She met Bill"s worried eyes with a forthright gaze. "Just like it took both of us to "" She waved a hand in the general direction of Snape"s forearm.

"Oh," Bill conceded in defeated understanding. "But I could check first, then come for Orra if I need her "" He tried to offer a solution.

"If you go alone, Lucius will know that you know where and how to find Severus," Minerva nearly whispered.

"He will, of course, not recognize Orra at all," Snape added.

"And, you will have the option of denying knowing where she came from," Minerva added softly.

"But, you must protect Orra from being recognized, Bill," Minerva interjected. "There"s no telling what could happen to her later on if ""

"If nothing, Minerva," Snape snapped. "I do not think Lucius would be so bold." He clipped his tirade short at the glimmer of panic in Orra"s eyes.

"Severus " you cannot know," McGonagall protested.

Snape merely stared unblinkingly at his colleague, refusing to argue further. Bill watched the silent exchange between his two former professors. "I will make sure she is safe," Bill finally conceded in utter defeat.

~*~

The odd couple Apparated just outside the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Orra staggered at the supreme disorientation she felt from being sucked through a vacuum, and Bill offered a steadying hand.

"Here goes nothing," she tried to joke as she smoothed her hands over her uncomfortable robes.

"Remember to only speak to Lucius and try to disguise your voice," Bill reminded her. "And, keep your hood up."

"Sir, yes sir!" she retorted, snapping a mock salute at him.

"I"m serious, here. I, we, promised Dumbledore to keep you and you-know-who a secret. That"s going to be really hard now."

"I understand, I think." Orra nodded. "I"ll do my best."

"Well, once more into the fray, then?"

"Lay on, MacDuff. And damned be him that first cries "Hold, enough!"." She smiled at him worriedly, accepting the shrunken crate as he aimed her towards the main gates.

"Eh?" Bill peered at her in confusion.

"Never mind."

A house-elf popped into being as they neared the gates. Orra jumped in surprise, and Bill had to help steady her package before it fell to the ground.

"Curse-breaker Bill Weasley and guest to see Mr. Lucius Malfoy, please," Bill announced authoritatively.

"Yes, please to come in. We"s been waiting, Master Weasley," the little elf stuttered as it snapped its fingers and the gates creaked open.

Once inside the Manor, Bill met with the Aurors on duty while Orra was careful to keep her head humbly bowed and her face covered. After a few minutes of hushed murmuring, accompanied by animated gesticulating on Bill Weasley"s behalf, the Aurors stepped aside, allowing Bill to escort Orra inside a lavish parlor.

"Good evening, Mr. Weasley," Narcissa Malfoy rose to greet him as her husband turned away from gazing into the blazing hearth to face them. Draco hesitated, then eased to his mother"s side, hovering uncertainly. His eyes were drawn to Bill"s scars then quickly averted as shame tinged his pale cheeks pink.

"Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy," Bill graciously accepted her hand. He turned a reassuring grin on Draco. "Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes?" He offered his hand warily.

"Pleasure to meet you," Bill tried to calm the young man"s fears. His scars burned and itched from the heat rising to his own face, thinking of the last time they had been in close proximity, when Greyback had attacked him as Draco fled up the stairs to the Tower.

"The pleasure is mine," Draco answered automatically.

"Mr. Weasley?" Lucius interrupted from his position near the fire.

"Mr. Malfoy," Bill answered, escorting Orra closer. "My companion has a package which needs to be delivered to you and only you privately."

Lucius met Narcissa"s gaze from across the room. Draco shook his head with a nearly imperceptible movement. Lucius" lip curled into a displeased snarl. Bill watched him carefully.

"Mr. Malfoy, I assure you that my companion means you absolutely no harm," Bill began. He then stepped uncomfortably close to the Malfoy patriarch, whispering for only him to hear, "In fact, the package may bring you some peace of mind."

"Very well, then." Lucius sighed tiredly. "Outside on the patio?"

"Alright," Bill acquiesced. "I"ll wait here; just call me," he whispered to Orra.

Lucius led the way out of the parlor onto the flagstones. Once outside, and making sure she couldn"t be seen by the others inside the parlor, Orra handed him the crate. She made sure he had a secure grip on it before she tapped the burned seal on the top; a seal in a sharp relief stylization of two overlapping elliptical forms, almost like a lunar eclipse. Lucius stared at her finger in disbelief, then, stunned, sank onto the nearby stone bench, holding the crate close to his body. He sat in shocked silence for a very long time.

"Then it is true?" he gasped.

Orra nodded vigorously, careful to hold the edges of the hood to keep her face hidden.

"You have seen him?" Lucius solicited as he traced the mark with his finger.

Orra stoically fought the urge to move. Do not reveal more than absolutely necessary, Severus" last words to her still ringing in her thoughts. She watched Lucius with her averted eyes.

When he seemed to accept her unspoken news, she whispered in a gravelly voice, "Your arm?"

Lucius snapped his head up at her words. She dutifully kept her head down and eyes downcast. Lucius regarded the figure before him with a cool, appraising eye. Orra stood firm, not daring to move. Finally, Lucius seemed to reach a conclusion. He set the crate on the bench, stood, and strode toward her, pushing his sleeve high on his arm, baring his Dark Mark for her viewing.

Orra stood stock still, her breath trapped in her lungs as she stared at Lucius" arm. They now stood in full view of the rooms" occupants, and heedlessly continued to play out their roles. She traced the friable edges of the frightening Mark with her index finger. Suddenly, Orra was overcome by sensations; memories " Lucius" memories of painful summoning and acts of such depravity that Orra swayed under the force of the shared viewing.

Inside the parlor, Narcissa and Draco shared a quick concerned glance behind Bill"s back. Bill"s face paled significantly and he began to move towards the doors. Just as suddenly, the stranger dropped Malfoy"s arm and tried to fly back through the large glass doors, straight to Narcissa. The regal blonde backed away as far as she could go, but she was unable to escape the relentlessly advancing stranger. Lucius stood with his back to the scene, looking out over his gardens, apparently completely unaffected by the events.

Panting in fear, Orra grasped the alarmed aristocrat by her left arm and tried to push her sleeve to her elbow. Narcissa sniffed haughtily as she pried the other woman"s desperate claws from her own arm. "Unhand me," she commanded.

Fear leached off Orra into the others in the room, causing Draco to leap to his feet in his mother"s defense. Bill"s strong arm stopped him short of his goal. Bill easily held the struggling youth as Orra trembled and seemed to search the unblemished skin for the nonexistent Mark. Orra refused to release Narcissa"s arm, and instead, tapped Narcissa"s forearm with an insistent pointer finger while staring imploringly at Bill.

"Madame," Narcissa exclaimed, "I assure you that I am not Marked." She looked at Bill with concern and questions in her eyes. "Mr. Weasley, please?" Narcissa"s words phrased a question but her tone spoke of a command. "I assure you I am not now, nor ever have been Marked as my husband is Marked."

The cloaked stranger raised frightened and confused eyes to meet the same emotions flowing from Narcissa Malfoy. Narcissa staggered a tiny bit at the force of the emotions she met in the strange woman"s face. Bowing her head again, Orra gently released her arm then rounded on Draco, still restrained by Bill Weasley.

"Show our guest your Mark, Draco," commanded Lucius as he strolled leisurely back into the sitting room.

Draco"s jaw dropped open in shock; dropping even further when the trembling woman quickly moved to his side to grab his arm and tore at his cuff link. Stunned, Draco simply stood stock-still and allowed her to attack his sleeve. Draco looked first to his father for reassurance, but received none as Lucius displayed the same, cool, distant demeanor for his son as he did for everyone. Draco then turned to Bill who gave him only a wide-eyed shrug of confusion. Orra shoved the linen to his elbow then gasped softly when his Dark Mark was revealed. Visibly shivering, even through the borrowed cloak, and within the heat of the fire, Orra traced the edges of the skull with her fingertips.

Lucius stepped closer. A snide sneer marred his usually handsome features. "Allow me," he offered, holding his own arm next to his son"s for the stranger"s perusal.

Her fingers moved from one to the other urgently. Orra"s trembling became worse and she growled angrily at the sight, stamping her foot in irritation to garner Bill Weasley"s attention. The two Marks, side by side, while owning the same shape and design, were vastly different. Draco"s Mark was a muted charcoal grey color, the hue of fireplace ashes, and most significantly, unmoving. Lucius" was putrid green in places and the snake writhed evilly within the mouth of the skull. Orra stamped her foot harder, agitated that Bill didn"t seem to see what she saw. She glared at the curse-breaker from underneath the relative safety of her hood.

"Yes, yes, I see," huffed Bill in frustration as well. "We can"t ""

"My son has not borne the Mark as long as I have," Lucius interrupted, trying to explain the obvious differences to his own satisfaction as well. Orra cast her doubting glare on him briefly, then returned her attention to Bill while shaking her head violently, so much so that her hood almost slipped off. Quickly, Bill tugged the edges back to veil her face. "That could explain the difference "" Orra growled her frustration at Lucius" apparent misunderstanding and her own limitations in the situation.

"Miss "" hissed Bill warningly, "you can"t ""

Orra interrupted him by stomping right on his foot with all the strength and anger she could muster.

"OUCH!" he yelped, "Cut that out!"

Orra shoved him, still trying to convey her sense of urgency.

All three Malfoy family members stared in abject horror at Bill and his companion"s abominable manners. Narcissa sniffed haughtily while Lucius arched a disdainful eyebrow at the redheaded curse-breaker.

"Mr. Weasley," Narcissa"s cultured voice broke into their mostly silent disagreement while she regally glided between her son and the warring factions. "Perhaps you would care to explain all of this discord to the rest of us, please?"

Bill steadied Orra by her elbow, then grasped the edges of her hood to peer down into her worried eyes for a long moment. She allowed hope to shine back " hope that he would indeed explain and allow her to speak. "Mrs. Malfoy, I wish I could " explain all of this, but, I am afraid I cannot."

Orra rolled her eyes and snorted indignantly. The Auror/guard stepped in at that point, worried that he had allowed things to go a bit too far. His voice took on the authoritative commanding tone of all peacekeepers in dire situations. "Mr. Weasley, I think it would be wise for you and your guest to leave now."

"Of course," Bill offered meekly, steering Orra towards the door. Orra attempted to struggle against his insistence, but she was unable to find much success and still keep her face hidden.

"Oh, it has been a great pleasure. Do come again soon," Lucius called in mock cheerfulness after them.

"Yes, thank you for your hospitality," Bill answered politely, affecting his best bow while maintaining an iron grip on Orra"s elbow. She, in turn, then, dipped a small curtsy, bowing her head so the hood would stay up.

Once they reached the outside of Malfoy Manor"s gates, Orra wheeled on Bill furiously.

"That " that " Mark thing " what exactly is it?" she demanded.

"Sssshhhh, someone might hear you!" Bill hushed her, peering around the grounds worriedly.

"I don" feckin" care," she raged. "That bloody damned Mark thing was cursed just like S ""

Bill clamped his hand over her mouth a bit roughly to stop her from saying Snape"s name aloud.

"Would you shut it?" he whispered harshly, trying not to shout. "Someone is bound to hear you!"

She clawed his hand from her face. "And I said, "I don" feckin" care!"," she hollered, her hood dropping back as she shook her fist at Bill. Her eyes blazed with fury. Her whole body seemed to tremble. "We " I " you " hell, Bill " we can"t leave him like that!"

"We do not have any other choice. Besides, it cannot possibly be the same."

"Might not be exactly the same "" Orra started to press her argument further.

"We CANNOT do anything about it," Bill responded fiercely; his blue eyes began to blaze with a feral light.

Orra stood and glared at him for a long time, her lips pursed angrily, arms folded across her chest, foot tapping in agitation. Neither of the two was aware of the voyeur hiding underneath the neatly pruned shrubbery edging the Manor"s grounds.

"I think we can," she stated softly, pleading with Bill to see her reason.

"Maybe, but we aren"t." Bill shook his head. "I"ve already exposed you much more than I should have. If Dumbledore ""

"If he were here, he"d want me to do whatever I could," Orra concluded for him.

"What makes you think that?" Bill tried to guide her away from the grounds and towards the Apparition point.

"He wouldn"t want anyone with his Mark to suffer so."

"No, he wouldn"t," Bill began, then stopped short, suddenly struck by her words. "Wait a minute " his Mark?"

"Yeah, his Mark," Orra replied quietly.

"Whose Mark?" Bill hedged, fearfully confused.

"Dumbledore"s, like the one he showed me so I would recognize his man ""

Bill put his finger to her lips to silence her again. His other hand found her chin and tilted her face up to his.

"Dumbledore"s man?" he asked incredulously, "He showed you one of those Marks?"

Orra swallowed hard, brushing frustrated tears from her eyes. You"ve gone and said too much again, Orrs. Dumb, eejit, dumb. Banjaxed " I"m completely banjaxed.

"I"ve seen that Mark before, Dumbledore showed it to me so I would recognize the one he said he would send to me, the one who would need me," Orra whispered, feeding off Bill"s confusion. "His man -- Dumbledore said I would know him by that Mark."

"That"s " bloody hell," Bill ran his fingers through his hair in supreme agitation. "That"s not Dumbledore"s Mark."

"Yes it is," Orra steadfastly asserted. The strange fear she read in Bill"s face brought doubts to her own thoughts quite quickly. "Isn"t it?"

"No, it isn"t. That was the Mark of a very dark, evil wizard," Bill explained sadly.

"What the fuck?" Orra enunciated quite clearly, the color draining from her face, leaving her ashen and shaking. The one he was going to take me to " Orra began to tremble at her memories.

"I"ll explain more back at the Castle," Bill offered, pulling her in close to his body, brooking no further arguments. "Let"s get the hell out of here before someone sees us."

Orra buried her face in his chest, mumbling, "No, no, no," as he pulled his wand to Side-Along Apparate them back to Hogwarts.

As they spun out of view with the accompanying crack of thunder, Draco Malfoy stood up from behind the shrubbery. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed, staring dazedly at the spot where the strange woman and the curse-breaker had just stood. High in the branches of a nearby tree, a carrion crow cawed then took flight after casting a sharp beady eye on the young spy.

When they hit the ground at the Apparition point, Orra shoved herself away from Bill, falling to hands and knees, and began to retch violently.

"Damn." Bill hurried to her side to hold the unwieldy hood and her hair out of the way. "I should have thought to give you something for the nausea." He berated himself as Orra heaved onto the ground, tears forming in her eyes as her entire body began to quiver. Shivering, she stopped her retching as disjointed visions from her past flashed before her eyes; the sickening-green flashes, the bodies falling and the screams all tearing her soul apart once more. When she began to sob uncontrollably, clutching her face in her hands, Bill realized that she wasn"t just upset by the Apparition. Forcibly, he picked her up, turning her back into his chest, and merely held her while she shivered and cried silently. She balled his robes in her fists, holding on for dear life.

Gently, he eased her towards the castle. Once on the grounds, the couple were met by Minerva hurrying across the grounds.

"Is she alright, Bill?"

"I"m not sure," Bill answered in confusion.

"Snape," croaked Orra. "Must see Snape."

The pair ushered her hurriedly back into the castle.

~*~
Just in case anyone is wondering, Orra took a case with two bottles of Hennessy Ellipse cognac " something Lucius and Snape shared in their moments of celebration.

And, Trickie dear, I"ve tried to clarify some things, but, others have to be vague just yet. It"s a mystery of sorts after all. Draco"s allegiances will be forthcoming at a later date.
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Slanaighear Ofrail An Seangharra